Mailbag: What Will the Chargers Draft?

A: Funny you should ask that as I am working on an article for the website for later this week. Many of the coaches have compared it to the first day of school. They are getting to know each other while also building a rapport. Besides spending large amounts of the day in meetings, everywhere you go in Chargers Park you find them chatting in the hallways or in the lunch room talking about both football and personal topics as well. Like Philip Rivers said last week, the goal of this game is to win a Super Bowl, but the people you play with over the years are just as important. So seeing that process of team building in its early stages has been a pretty neat experience.

Q: I’ve only seen quotes from Rivers on McCoy’s hiring. Are the other guys on the team excited about their new coach? – Burt Thayer

A: Yes, they are. And they are not only excited about McCoy but also the rest of the staff taking charge of the Bolts. Many of the players have paid visits with both McCoy and their individual position coach. I had the chance to chat briefly with a number of them, and to a man, they each said they are excited about the new regime and can’t wait for the 2013 season to start. Look for articles in the coming weeks on Chargers.com from some of these players.

Q: With all the moves in the front office and head coaching staff it's hard NOT to be really excited about the upcoming season. The biggest question I have in my head though is what kind of FA moves should we expect to see? – Joe Nacastro

A: In our live chat with Telesco on Friday, he cleared up a misconception some of you had regarding his take on free agency. Telesco said while a draft and development approach will be a main focus of the team, he will be active in free agency to fill needs and supplement the current roster. To me, the money quote was when he said “if their talent, fit and economic structure works for us, we will be active with it.” So I’m not sure how many players we will sign when March comes and free agency begins, but I expect a number of key signings to take place.

Q: The NFL draft is still a few months away, but it'll be here sooner than expected. Instead of trying to figure out who we think the Chargers should draft, what position do you, Ricky, think Tom Telesco and Coach McCoy will draft in the first round? - Jeremy Salas

A: Many of you asked for my personal opinion on who the Chargers will draft. Honestly, it is way too early to answer this. We will all have a better idea of what players will have a high enough grade to be selected 11th overall after the combine and pro days. That being said, while it is not a position, I expect Telesco to draft whoever is the best available player at that time even if it isn’t exactly a position that is considered an area of need.

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